Sideswipe: May 7: The joys of flatting

The joys of flattingFlatting surprises: "I have had the pleasure of being a part of a flat where one flatmate made copies of the house keys to give to her 'friends' she met at the pub every Friday night. I would get up in the morning and find strangers in the kitchen cooking bacon and eggs. Another flat and another flatmate changed the locks because she didn't trust the property manager (we got an eviction notice soon after). And another flat where I noticed someone was using our towels and eating our food - an old flatmate using our place to have a shower and eat lunch."

No pain, no gainThe newest beauty-treatment fad in China is the "fire facial", in which alcohol and a "secret elixir" are daubed on the face and set ablaze for a few seconds, then extinguished. According to "ancient Chinese medicine" this will burn off "dull" skin - and also alleviate the common cold and reduce obesity. (Source: Inquisitr.com)

Snug as a bugRegarding the picture yesterday of the two houses in close proximity, Andy points out that the building must have been undertaken under the current District Plan and explains: "I would almost bet money that once the new house has been completed, the old one will be removed off site, but the owners will stay there while the new build takes place."

In hot pursuit of justiceA would-be robber has burns to his face after a bucket of chilli was poured over his head during an alleged hold-up of a Sydney takeaway. It appears he'd got into an argument with staff over paying for his order at the Rosebery store on Sunday night. He allegedly tried to open the till before attacking an employee, who emptied a bucket of chilli over his head. Police arrived within minutes to find the 24-year-old lying on the floor with chilli burns to his face. Inspector Ralph Dean said the shop was in chaos. "And of course the robber was quite readily identified," he said.

Picture this: Julia saw this notice in a shop window when visiting the Coromandel. "I laughed at the first and then laughed more at the second," she said.